The United States military continues to
invest heavily into robotic technology, as the newer generations of
robot-based soldiers will be programmed to understand battlefield
ethics.

According to an article in the Army Times, the
so-called 'ethical robots' would follow international laws.
Ronald Arkin, from the Mobile Robot Laboratory at the Georgia
Institute of Technology, wrote a book to discuss the future of
robotics.

It's possible the robots could be taught
remorse, compassion and guilt, but exact senses the robots would be
programmed with are still unknown. Furthermore, depending on
the determined level of guilt, and the mission being carried out, the
firepower and effectiveness of weapons used will change.

The
robots could also be used to monitor soldiers to ensure international
treaties are being followed by U.S. and coalition ground troops.
Although many soldiers don't want to be monitored in such an
intrusive manner, several high-profile cases of abuse and murder have
further blemished the military's image among locals in Iraq.

If
funding is properly allocated for the research, it could be available
in 10 to 20 years. As the U.S. continues to fight wars using
enhanced technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other
unmanned resources have become popular alternatives to launching
manned missions -- and is expected to further increase in the future.

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